Small Wait Auto: GTAIV Wal-Mart launch recap (Tulsa, OK)

by Richard Mitchell { Apr 29th 2008 at 11:00AM }

Click to embiggen

Apart from the one guy standing behind me, the image above represents the entirety of the crowd that was on hand for the midnight launch of Grand Theft Auto IV at the Woodland Hills Wal-Mart in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That's all of them. Seriously, there's no one hidden off camera (apart from behind-me-guy mentioned above). There is no line extending down the DVD isle. What you see is it. I've been to midnight launches before, and I can tell you that this was by far the smoothest one I've had to endure. Compared to the hours I had to wait in line for Halo 3 last year (in addition to the time I spent once the line actually started moving), Wal-Mart was nothing. I was literally standing at a register at midnight, and I was back in my car, game in hand, by 12:07.

Wal-Mart's plans for the GTAIV launch were leaked earlier this month, proclaiming that the chain wanted to be the "Fastest way to play GTA IV." While it seems to be more out of coincidence than actual planning, my Wal-Mart certainly proved to be quick. After the break, I've compiled some of the reasons to consider Wal-Mart for your next midnight launch.

No waiting outside. The store is open 24 hours, so there is no need to stand outside where the elements can damage you or your precious electronics.
Lots of (well-lit) parking
Plenty of things to do. Bored of waiting? Here are some suggestions:

Why not browse the toy aisle for some new Halo action figures?
You could research your next prospective HDTV purchase.
Walk on down to the furniture section, find a comfy chair, and crack open a book.
Is your house well-stocked for hours upon hours of GTAIV goodness? Why not do your shopping now (like the couple with the shopping cart above)?
Get some film developed
Forgot to bring snacks? No need to leave the store, just buy them right there!
Fill your prescriptions
Have your tires rotated
Buy a gift for your soon to be neglected significant other

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. After all, at Wal-Mart your only limit is your imagination. Regardless of whether or not you plan to make Wal-Mart your future launch headquarters, I can tell you one thing: I have no plans to attend another midnight launch at GameStop.

Tags: grand-theft-auto-4, grand-theft-auto-iv, gta4, gtaiv, rockstar, take-two

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

TORO @ Apr 29th 2008 11:10AM

Gamestop sucks they don't even give you any incentives to buy the game there.

Which one are you? With the blazer? Or the black dude?

sam @ Apr 29th 2008 11:26AM

He's probably the one taking the picture....

Richard Mitchell @ Apr 29th 2008 11:27AM

I would be the one taking the picture.

bigmac375 @ Apr 29th 2008 3:31PM

epic fail

ZEBRA NINER @ Apr 29th 2008 11:12AM

Well, that's good. On Halo launch, I went to a Walmart and there was a line of about 200 people and only 1 register. I decided I could wait until the next day and buy it at Best Buy.

Deck @ Apr 29th 2008 11:12AM

That's a nice ride through the midnight launch! Makes things very smooth indeed!

I'd consider it except there is absolutely none in any reasonable distance from me.

Brian Arnold @ Apr 29th 2008 11:53AM

There's not a Wal-Mart reasonably close to you? Where the heck do you live? :D

Barbie Fu @ Apr 29th 2008 11:23AM

Yeah, well Carson City Nv had even less, it was my buddy and I and one other, but I was'nt gettin a copy.....my buddy called me dumb, but when we got to his pad, it only took me 10 min to get bored, it took him about half an hour......then we flipped to online and the game got marginally better......not enough to justify $60 though............that game is the most overhyped BS ever.....Halo 3 was way more fun.....

Chuckles @ Apr 29th 2008 11:43AM

Wow, sounds like you really let yourself get immersed in the story and environment. I completely trust your judgment given your dedication to letting yourself actually get into it before spouting your feelings on a message board. Good thing I did not get duped into going to a midnight launch for a game that no one new what the gameplay would be like. I mean this was a whole new genre that they were unveiling with no other game before it giving you any indication of how it would play. Thanks for your comments as they were completely worth my time to read and reply to. +1 for you my good man and keep up the good reviews. I look forward to much more of your insight in the future.

TORO @ Apr 29th 2008 1:57PM

LOL man (or woman?) Barbie u just don't like this game huh. Usually there's another "related" game that you like better and diss this one...for example "I'm a Halo fanboy and COD4 sucks!".

But in this case, u just want to let everyone know how much GTA IV sucks. Newsflash: no one gives a shit.

You must be Jack Thompson's kid or somethin'

Bravo6 @ Apr 29th 2008 11:25AM

haha wal-mart.. that's cute

The Beta Max @ Apr 29th 2008 11:30AM

I prefer going to gaming stores to hang out with other gamers while I wait. Non-game stores usually non-gamers (parents, grandparents) hanging out too and that's usually lame. But if my local Walmart Super Center has a midnight launch I may consider going there. I love that place...

TORO @ Apr 29th 2008 11:32AM

Doh! Makes sense hehe...5 more hours for me

ChewyDogg @ Apr 29th 2008 11:35AM

Got to Wal Mart at about 11:45, there was one guy waiting. Another ten or so showed up by 12:00. Halo 3 launch there were about 20 people. Across the parking lot at GameStop there were easily 100 people in line. Wal Mart is the way to go.

Lee @ Apr 29th 2008 12:36PM

This is *exactly* how my Walmart/Gamestop combo looked last night (numbers/timing and all, strangely enough).

Kaz @ Apr 29th 2008 11:38AM

I stopped by a Gamecrazy at 10 til midnight (I didn't preorder) and at midnight they let 4 prepays in the door, and after 5 minutes, no one had yet walked out (there was a line of about 20 there). Gamestops in the area were worse... I drove over to Walmart (same shopping complex as the local gamestop) walked back to the Electronics section, and low and behold, one guy at the register buying GTAIV... I walked up and asked for a copy for the 360. While checking out a lady behind the checkout clerk (manager I think) held up the Special Edition, which I quickly asked for instead of the standard I was about to buy (I had asked previously, and was told Walmart would not have the SE). Needless to say, I was home by 12:20, SE in hand, no preorder, thanks to Walmart! And this was just your run of the mill 24hour store... nothing special about it.

phff whatever @ Apr 29th 2008 11:51AM

They made 30 of us wait outside in Buffalo and it was 30 out. Wtf

Bluemanrule @ Apr 29th 2008 11:57AM

I don't understand why Walmart hasn't done this before. It IS the perfect place to wait. You have so much around you that you don't mind waiting. OKC has a few 24 hr Supercenters and their games section is always sparse. Richard, you have found a goldmine. Well....you were the first one to scream "Gold!"

I Skoch I @ Apr 29th 2008 11:58AM

I actually also chose to forego the usual Gamestop/Best Buy midnight purchase and drove three blocks down the street to Blockbuster at about 10 til. First in line and home by 12:05, I won't do it any other way from now on. Also, I'm loving the Free Mode multiplayer, can't wait to get more of my friends in the game that didn't have the heart to go out at midnight last night. It's a blast to run around the city reeking havoc on the citizens of Liberty City as a mob!

Also, Richard, I was born and raised in Tulsa and graduated from OU several years ago, always good to hear stories from the hometown!

Richard Mitchell @ Apr 29th 2008 1:10PM

Keep your eyes out for a Gary Busey story later today then :)

Sammy D Kat @ Apr 29th 2008 1:56PM

That's because Wal Mart is evil.

refinedsugar @ Apr 29th 2008 12:21PM

Great story, but it can't be a real representation of how all Walmart launches go ... and getting past that, I dunno, say what you will about standing in lines, cold, bored, 12AM, etc, but I'd rather support another company before I drop my cash at Walmart.

Arsonism @ Apr 29th 2008 12:35PM

Walmart has the greatest midnight launches. I was lucky enough to get in on the Wii release there back in 2006. My friends and I just grabbed lawn chairs and set them up in the back asile until they would sell us the game.

Teabag @ Apr 29th 2008 1:20PM

This entry sounds more like a promotion for Wal-Mart than a midnight launch coverage.

Richard Mitchell @ Apr 29th 2008 1:26PM

Honestly, there wasn't much else to cover. I was there for an hour and a half. I could have showed up at 11:45 and still left before 12:10.

The point is, at least for me, that the experience there was light-years ahead of waiting in line at GameStop.

Believe me, there are many other times when Wal-Mart is the last place I'd want to be.

pennywise969 @ Apr 29th 2008 1:29PM

I went to Walmart last night also. There were 5 people there, including me and my brother. I was home with the game at 12:07. I had another friend that went to a different walmart and had a similar experience. I know that I will be checking with Walmart first for my future midnight game releases.

Odog4ever @ Apr 29th 2008 2:26PM

I drove by the gamestop on the way to Walmart and there were about 40 people in line outside. When got back to the electronics section there about 15 people ahead of me and they had 2 registers going. I out of their in 10 min.

I figured I'd got to Wal-mart cause I didn't want to wait out in the cold, the fact the the line was much shorter was a bonus.

LiqwidZero @ Apr 29th 2008 2:07PM

Wal-mart's where I got my Wii on launch date. One of my friends had a friend that was sitting by my friend, and his friend ended up not getting one, so through being a friend of my friend I became 11th in line instead of 25th (there were 19 consoles--one broke), and what's nice is that they had seats for all of us.

BuckeyesFinest @ Apr 29th 2008 3:04PM

Columbus, OH / Canal Winchester (Suburb)

I was debating the last few hours before launch on what I wanted to do. My friend had a $10 reserve at EB Games and was pissed when he found out they weren't doing a midnight launch (they are inside a mall) like they originally said. They called and told him things changed (two days ago). So we were debating on CC @ 10AM, EB @ 10AM, GS @ 10AM or try Wally-World for the Midnighter. My boy texted me about 8PM and said let's go ahead and feed the beast Wally-World. We get anxious too around 11:15PM and just roll down the street 5 mins to WW. As we pull into the plaza we roll past GS where there is about 40 people outside (New Store) and park right upfront of Wal-Mart (my friend swears he's handicap). We get to the back of the store about 11:22Pm and see only about 4 people and they're just wondering around the Electronics Dept. wasting time. So my boy and I find a bench and just chill out clowning with other Wal-Mart employees. When it did hit midnight there were only about 20 people there, 3 employees, 2 lines. The employees where taking forever literally, when I got to the front of the line which took about 20 mins (I was about 12 people back.) I found out they didn't have Special Editions for sale at their location. I was a little piss but my boy bought his. We went outside to GS, I asked the employee in front of the line if they were selling 360 SE's tonight without reserves, he yelled for a quantity check and told me yes, GET TO THE BACK OF THE LINE (joking on the yelling). Chopped it up with a few guys in the back and they said they just left BlockBuster where their friend pickuped a SE without reserve. When we got their 2 mins later, they were sold out of SE's so we ran back over to GS where I had lost spots to only about 4 people. When I got home about 12:50AM, I bumped the soundtrack and then hit the game. So this was my long short night dealing with a launch. If Wal-Mart had the copy, my night would have been alot more gaming instead of sleeping. Better luck next time though.

corbin @ Apr 29th 2008 3:43PM

There were about 30 people at the Walmart in Fayetteville, Ar. Thats not too far from Tulsa.

likedamaster @ Apr 30th 2008 4:18AM

gamestop was packed just like the halo 3 launch. I went with gamestop this time because walmart failed to have a few exclusive games this year when they were supposed to. I prefer walmart because it's indoors, they provide chairs and even have tournaments with game thats launching, well at least my walmart does (Fayetteville, NC).